Pneumatic automobile lift



May 21, 1940.

W. A. BARY ET AL PNEUMATIC AUTOMOBILE LIFT Filed Nov. 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WOLDEMA R A.BA Ry A Ex/s JA cKso/v mvENToR ATTORNEY May 21, 1940- w. A. BARY l-:r AL 2,201,147

PNEUMATIC AUTOMOBILE LIFT Filed Nov. 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WoL/JEMARA.BARY

ALEX/5 JAcKs 0N INVENTORS BY 7J. #www ATTORNEY Patented May 21, 1940 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE son, Astoria, N. Y.,

assignors to Vadim S.

Makaroif, New York, N. Y.

Appiication November Z4, 1937, Serial No. 176,208

6 Claims,

Our invention relates to automobile lifts and has particular reference to liits or liftingV de vices for automobiles, various other vehicles and other objects.

An important object of our invention is to provide a lift with its mechanism concealed below the iloor level of a garage or repair shop, the only exposed parts being two beams or rails on lifting arms for supporting a load and rais ing it to a desired elevation, the rails and the arms leaving a passage under the load thereby rendering the object lifted. such as an automobile, accessible underneath for repairs, lubrication, etc.

Another object ci our invention is to provide a lift with rails for supporting an automobile or a similar vehicle, the rails being adapted to rcmain horizontal While being raised. For this purpose we connect the rails with the base by two sets of pivoted arms in such manner that the whole system represents two hinged or flexible parallelograms disposed side by side, the rails remaining at all times parallel to the base.

Anotherobject of our invention is to provide a motor, preferably horizontal so as to occupy the least depth below the floor, adapted to turn one set of arms for raising them with the rails, the other set of arms being then raised through their connections with the rst set. In order to facilitate the operation of raising the arms when they are in their lowest position and almost horizontal, we provide a second set of arms or lugs rigidly connected with the respective set of arms, the lugs being also connected together by pivoted longitudinal bars thereby forming a second set of hinged parallelograms.

The lugs extend at an angle to the arms so that they are in the most favorable position to be turned by a horizontal motor when the upper arms are in the least favorable position or collapsed to the ground.

Another object of our invention is to provide a locking device for holding the rails in an elevated position. We also provide an auxiliary motor for releasing the locking device when the made in the form of an air cylinder with a piston.

Another object of our invention is to provide a manual control for operating the air cylinders. For this purpose we pro-vide a manually operable valve in a pipe connecting the lifting cylinder with a source oi compressed air or other compressed iluid. We also provide an automatic check valve in the pipe between the cylinder and the manual valve to prevent a. leak age through the main valve. We provide a separate manually operable valve for the ratchet releasing auxiliary cylinder. We also provide a valve for releasing pressure in the lifting cylint der, this valve being opened by a lug extending from the ratchet releasing valve in such manner that pressure in the cylinder is released when compressed fluid is admitted into the releasing cylinder.

As a modication we provide lifting arm-s with extensions below the shafts, the extensions be ing operatively connected with an air cylinder or electric motor for simultaneously and uni formly raising the arms at both ends of the lift.

With our arrangement of two sets of paral lelograrns for operating the supporting rails two sets of air cylinders can be used, one cylinder for each set of arms. The parallel arrangement of the lifting arms will insure a uniform lift for the rails regardless of the load distribution, even if the rails are replaced by some other lifting or load supporting devices, such as a platform, cross bars, etc.

Still another object of our invention is to pron vide hinged approach plates at the ends of the rails to facilitate bringing an automobile on the rails from the floor, the plates remaining at the floor on the lower portions of the arms when the rails are raised.

Our invention is more fully described in the accompanying specication and drawings in which-- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of our lift in a lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same partly in section.

Fig. 4 is an elevational View of a modied construction.

Fig. 5 is an end View of the same partly in section.

Our automobile lift' consists of a base formed of two beams I placed in an excavation or pit 2 below the level of a floor 3 in a shop or garage. The beams may be of any cross-sectional shape suitable for this purpose and are shown as channel bars.

The channel bars or beams I are connected together at the ends by rcross bars 6. Bearings 5 are fitted in the beams for shafts t and E. Arms l and 'I' are rigidly mounted on the outer ends of the shafts and have bearings at the ends for shafts 8 and 8. The outer ends of the shafts 8 andk l are fitted in theinner or vertical flanges of rails or beams 9 being journaled in bearing blocks I9 attached to the rails. The arms form two parallel parallelograms with the rails 9 and beams I so that the rails remain horizontal for all positions of the arms. The shafts 6 and S have also lower arms or lugs II and II rigidly mounted (on keys, for instance) thereon and provided with bearings for short shafts or pins I2 and I3. The pin I2 passes through an elongated hole lli in the enlarged end of a rod I5 having a piston I6 on the other end and slidably tted in a cylinder I'I. The latter is mounted on brackets or braces I8 supported on the beams I. The rod I5 slides in a hole in the center of a cover I9 in the front end of the cylinder. The shaft I3 is engaged by teeth 22 of a locking bar 2l rotatively mounted on a shaft 22 supported in the beams I. A rod 23 is pivotally connected to the bar 2l at 24 and has a piston 25 on the other end sliding in a cylinder 26. A spring lll tends to raise the piston thereb-y pressing the bar 2l against the shaft or pin I3. The cylinder 25 is mounted on a bracket 2'! supported by its ends under the beams I. A pipe 28 extends from the cylinder Il and is connected with a pipe 3l through a check valve 29 and a control valve Sil having a handle 32 and a spring 33 for closing the valve. The pipe 3I is connected with a source of compressed air (not shown) or other fluid under compression. A second valve 3d with a handle 35 connects the pipe 3| with the cylinder 26 by a pipe 36. A third valve 31 is connected with the pipe 28 by a pipe 38 and has a rod 39 engaged by a lug 50 on the handle of the valve 34 being thereby adapted to release air from the cylinder ll when air is admitted into the auxiliary cylinder 25.

The operation of our lift is as follows.

The rails 9 normally rest in recesses in the floor 3 so that their flat sides are level with the floor. An automobile or other vehicle is driven or moved on the rails until all its wheels rest on them. The valve handle 32 is then depressed, opening the valve 30 and admitting compressed air into the cylinder I1 through the check valve 29 which prevents the return flow of the air. The lugs II are connected with the lugs II by longitudinal bars 42 forming a second set of parallelograms with the beams I. The lugs are set at an angle to the arms l and l', preferably approaching 90 so that the lower parallelograms are expanded c when the upper parallelograms are folded or collapsed. The lower parallelograms therefore provide the greatest torque when the upper parallelograms are in the least favorable position for lifting the load. The lugs II and II tend to equalize the movements of the arms 'I and 'I' from the beginning when the upper parallelograms are practically nonexistent so that the certain play in the bearings may cause distortion of the positions of the arms under uneven loads. The pin I3 successively slides from one tooth 2D to the next while the arms 'I and 1 are rotated until they reach the nal elevation at which the system will be retained by the corresponding tooth 20 independently of the air cylinder. For

lowering the beams or rails 9 the valve 34 is opened by depressing the handle 35 thereby admitting air into the cylinder 26. The piston 25 is then raised pushing the bar 2| upward and releasing the pin I3 from the tooth 20. Simultaneously the lug 40 will depress the valve stem 32, opening the valve 37 and releasing air from the cylinder Il. cede into the cylinder, releasing the lugs II and il and the arms and I for their downward movement.

A modified arrangement is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, this lift being specially adapted for raising `an automobile by its axles leaving its wheels free and exposed. The arms 'I and 'I' in this modification are fitted by their ends in inverted channel bars d3 and are held byfshort shafts or pins 44. The bars 43 are spaced closely together so as to fit under the axles of an automobile between its wheels.

We claim as our invention:

l. An automobile lift comprising a frame, front and rear arms rotatively supported on the sides of the frame, means on the free ends of the arms to support an automobile, an air motor, an air valve for admitting compressed air into the motor, means to rotate the arms by the motor for raising the automobile, means to lock the arms in the raised position, an air cylinder, a piston movably fitted in the cylinder, means to release the locking means by the piston when compressed airis admitted into the cylinder, and a handle on the air valve for opening and closing the air passage for the air cylinder, the valve in the open position being adapted to release the air from the motor,

2. An automobile lift comprising a frame, front and rear arms rotatively supported on the sides of the frame, rails extending between the front and rear arms and hingedly connected to the free ends of the armsforming a support for an automobile, the front an-d rear arms being substantially parallel thereby forming hinged parallelograms with the rails and sides of the frame, lugs rigidly connected with the arms and extending at an angle thereto, links hinge-dly connecting the free ends of the lugs and extending from the front to the rear lugs, the front and rear lugs being parallel thereby forming a second set of hinged parallelograms, shafts connecting the free ends of the lugs, a uidmotor operatively connected with the lug shafts for rotating the arms, a locking ratchet arm pivotally connected with the frame at one end, the teeth of the arm being adapted to engage the front lug shaft for supporting the arms in the raised position, means to yieldably press the arm against the lug shaft, means including a fluid cylinder for releasing the locking arm from engagement with the lug shaft, and means to release the fluid from the motor by admitting fluid into the cylinder.

3. An automobile lift comprising a frame, a front and rear arms rotatively supported on the sides of the frame, rails extending between the front and rear arms and hingedly connected to the free ends of the armsforming a support for an automobile, the front and rear arms being substantially parallel thereby forming hinged parallelograms with the rails and sides of the frame, lugs rigidly connected with the arms and extending at an angle thereto, links hingedly connecting the free ends of the lugs and extending from the front to the rear lugs, the front and rear lugs being parallel thereby forming a second set of hinged parallelograms, shafts con- The piston I6 will therefore ref necting the free ends of the lugs, a cylinder rigidly mounted on the under side of the frame, a piston slidably tted in the cylinder, the piston and the cylinder being in a substantially parallel alignment with the frame, means to admit compressed fluid into the cylinder, and operating connections between the piston and the shaft for raising and lowering the rails.

4. An automobile lift comprising a frame, front and rear arms rotatively supported on the sides of the frame, rails extending between the front and rear arms and hingedly connected to the free ends of the arms forming a support for an automobile, the front and rear arms being substantially parallel thereby forming hinged parallelograms with the rails and sides of the frame, lugs rigidly connected with the arms and extending at an angle thereto, links hingedly connecting the free ends of the lugs and extending from the front to the rear lugs, the front and rear lugs being parallel thereby forming a second set of hinged parallelograms, shafts connecting the free ends of the lugs, a Iiuid motor operatively connected with the lug shafts for rotating the arms, a locking ratchet arm pivotally connected with the frame at one end, the teeth of the arm being adapted to engage the front lug shaft by gravity for supporting the arms in the raised position, an air cylinder supported on the frame, a piston in the cylinder operatively connected to the arm, and means to admit compressed fluid into the cylinder for raising the locking arm thereby releasing it from the front lug shaft.

5. An automobile lift comprising a frame, front and rear arms rotatively supported on thesides of the frame, rails extending between the front and rear arms and hingedly connected to the free ends of the arms forming a support for an automobile, the front and rear arms being substantially parallel thereby forming hinged parallelograms with the rails and sides of the frame, lugs rigidly connected with the arms and extending at an angle thereto, links hingedly connecting' the free ends of the lugs and extending from the front to the rear lugs, the front and rear lugs being parallel thereby forming a second set of hinged parallelograms, a fluid motor operatively connected with the lugs, means to admit compressed iiuid into the motor, means to exhaust the fluid from the motor, means to rotate tbe arms by the motor for raising the automobile, means to lock the arms in the raised position, a fluid cylinder, a piston movably fitted in the cylinder and operatively connected to the locking means, and means to admit the uid into the cylinder for moving the piston thereby releasing tlle locking means and means to control the iluid exhausting means for the motor by the fiuid admitting means for the cylinder.

6, An automobile lift comprising a frame, front and rear arms rotatively supported on the sides of the frame, means on the free ends of the arms to support an automobile, a uid motor, a fluid valve for admitting compressed uid into the motor, means to rotate the arms by the motor for raising the automobile, means to lock the arms in the raised position, a fluid cylinder, a piston movably tted in the cylinder operatively connected with the locking means, a valve adapted to admit compressed fluid into the` cylinder, means to prevent the reverse ow of fluid through the motor valve, and means to release the fluid from the motor by admitting the uid into the cylinder valve for admitting compressed fluid into the cylinder.

WOLDEMAR A. BARY. ALEXIS JACKSON. 

